The Cleveland Cavaliers aim to continue their sterling play at home on Tuesday against former face of the franchise LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the streaking Los Angeles Lakers.
The Cavaliers are returning home after dropping a 92-81 decision to the New York Knicks on Sunday. Cleveland fell to 5-8 on the road this season and looks vastly different than the team that has compiled a 10-1 record at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Donovan Mitchell made himself at home on Sunday because, well, he was home. The New York native scored a team-high 23 points in a losing effort against the Knicks.
The Cavaliers play decidedly better at home. They are averaging 115.6 points on 49.3 percent shooting from the floor and 39.9 percent from 3-point range, as opposed to 107.7, 46.0, 35.8, respectively, on the road.
Now, James used to call Cleveland his home for many years. Well, he is from Akron, but you get the point.
Anyway, James and a red-hot Davis have lit a fire under the Lakers. Los Angeles has made significant progress in turning around a dismal start to the season by winning eight of its last 10.
Davis followed up a 44-point, 10-rebound performance in the Lakers’ 133-129 victory in Milwaukee on Friday with a 55-point, 17-board effort two nights later in a 130-119 triumph against Washington.
Los Angeles is doing that on the road, too. The Lakers have won four in a row away from home, include the first two to start this six-game trek.
James scored 27 points in the Lakers’ 114-110 setback to the Cavaliers on Nov. 6. The loss was his second in 19 all-time meetings against Cleveland, with the other coming while he played with the Miami Heat on March 29, 2011.
